Act for Persons with Disabilities still disabled!

http://chow.blogsome.com/category/parliament/

Filed under: Parliament - chow @ 12: 39.22

The proposed new Act for Persons with Disabilties is still disabled. I have asked in Parliament today “why the Act is still not approved” and the Minister gave a written reply as follows:

Rang UndangUndang Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) masih dalam peringkat penyediaan. Pada masa ini draf pertama Rang Undang-Undang tersebut telah dirangka dan telah dibincang bersama pertubuhan-pertubuhan sukarela OKU dan beberapa agensi yang terbabit pada 23 hingga 25 Februari 2006…..Dasar OKU dijangka akan dimuktamadkan dalam tahun ini bersama dengan Akta OKU.”

Also, as at 31 December 2004, there are 150,617 registered as persons with disabilities with the Welfare Department. This represents 0.6 percent of the population.

According to the United Nations, it is estimated that one percent of a country’s population be classified as persons with disabilities. As such, it is estimated that there are about 260,000 persons with disabilities in Malaysia at the end of 2005.
This means more than 100,000 persons with disabilities are still not registered with the Welfare Department.

I am sure my friends, especially those at the Penang Chinese Society for Disabled Persons and volunteers, would be disappointed again to know that they have to wait much longer for the Act to be approved by Parliament.

I think the Minister should work harder to get the Act approved for all persons with disabilities in the country.